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Friday, August 15, 2014

History of Hats: Fashion and Function PLUS GIVEAWAY

Hello, from the great state of Oklahoma! I’m Carla Stewart,
and this is my debut post on CFHS. When Vickie McDonough, one of the founders here, told me she had an
opening, I jumped at the chance to be a part of this lovely community of fellow
lovers of history. I’m a little intimidated because I’m a newcomer to the
traditional “historical” genre with my recent book The Hatmaker’s Heart. Until now, I’ve been writing nostalgia
(1950-1970) where I learned the value of researching my subject well and
getting my facts lined up as well as ferreting out those hidden gems that make
stories jump off the page. I hope you enjoy my “take” on history and some of
the things that fascinate me. And to mark this “first” for me, I have a
surprise for you at the end of the post.

As the title of my book implies, one of my current passions
is hats (see my Pinterest board for my virtual collection). All kinds, but in
particular, the way hats have evolved over time and their role in fashion in
the last four hundred years. Prior to then, head coverings were
used for protection from the elements or as a symbol of respect, reverence, or
royalty. Hats were also indicators of social standing or profession.

In 1529 AD, The word milliner, meaning a maker of
hats, was first recorded in reference to the products for which Milan and the
Northern Italian regions were well known (i.e. ribbons, gloves and straws). The
haberdashers who imported these highly popular straws will called 'Millaners'.
Since then, hats have been cherished, celebrated, and even occasionally
scorned.

"A hat
is a flag, a shield, a bit of armor, and the badge of femininity. A hat is the
difference between wearing clothes and wearing a costume; it's the difference
between being dressed and being dressed up; it's the difference between looking
adequate and looking your best. A hat is to be stylish in, to glow under, to
flirt beneath, to make all others seem jealous over, and to make all men feel
masculine about. A piece of magic is a hat." ~ Margaret Sliter

I love this. Magic. That's what hats are to me, and that magic has
taken on many forms among ordinary women as well as posh, fashionable women for
centuries. So let's have a look.

18th Century

Shepherdess hats with varying brim
widths were worn throughout the century for protection from the sun primarily,
but pretty ribbons and other decorative elements were sometimes added. In the
last quarter of the century, huge wigs and hairstyles were fashionable so the calash was invented to protect them from
inclement weather. These had whalebone or wood strips sewn into silk fabric to
give them shape and hold them in place. Cotton was introduced near the end of
the century, so bonnets tied under the chin became popular. Turbans came into
their own during this period as well and remained in fashion until the 1820s.

A Calash - from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

19th Century

Straw bonnets were favored, but supplies weren’t easy to
come by, so the “bonnet board” came into being – cardboard pressed in a roller
machine to shape it and covered with cotton or silk. By the 1820s, feather
plumes and silk bows were introduced, and hats became more and more lavish with
towers of panaches (the plumes) and wide brims that hid the face. They often
had veils which further hid the face.

Woman's Bonnet, circa 1870. Silk taffeta and lace- from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

By the mid-1850s, brims were narrower and
the face and hair more visible but hats often featured a ribbon frill – a
Bavolette – at the back of the bonnet to cover the neck which was considered an
erogenous zone, and it would be improper to view the neck except with evening
dress.

The last half of the century sported many different styles.
The bonnet came back, but with a smaller brim (called a spoon bonnet and had a peaked
crown often decorated with a nosegay).

Hats in general became smaller, and in
1860 the parasol was introduced to take care of protection from the elements
and women wore the diminutive Franchon, a triangular piece of decorated straw
or silk with wide ribbons that tied under the chin. Other styles in the latter
part of the 1800s were Glengarry highland caps, circular pork pie hats,
Tyrolean style peaked crown hats, and little doll hats decorated with cockades
of feathers. Women who wanted to appear more modest still preferred bonnets and
this eventually associated them with a matronly appearance. The more
adventuresome women wore towering hats known as “3-story” or “flowerpots.”
Boaters first became acceptable for women near the end of the century and are
known by many names: Skimmer, a Katie, a Cady, a Basher, a Sommer, a Sennit Hat
and a Can-Can Hat.

1875 brought the biggest hat fashion event in history to
date – the Kentucky Derby hat. The over-the-top sunhats were designed to attract
attention and were adorned with flamboyant embellishments including ribbons,
flowers and feathers. Even to the present day, a lady who attends the Kentucky Derby and doesn't wear a
hat is almost considered scandalous.

One of the hats on display at the Kentucky Derby Museum

20th Century

During the Edwardian period from
the turn of the century until the close of WWI, hats were an essential part of
every woman’s wardrobe. They were lavish and some even cantilevered over the
face to complete the popular “S” shape of a woman’s silhouette.

Billie Burke, prior to 1914, Wiki Commons

Dramatic
changes were about to take place, though, with the advent of the Roaring
Twenties. Brims became smaller and the hat crown deeper, and cloches became all
the rage. They hugged the head from just above the eyebrows to the back of the
neck, and while the embellishments weren’t as massive as they been a few years
earlier, they were still spectacular with intricate bead work, woven ribbon,
feathers, and lush fabrics. Glitz and sparkle marked the cloche style which has
become synonymous with the Flapper image of the era and worked well with the
bob hairstyle that many younger women wore.

Joan Crawford in flapper hat, 1927

By the 1930s, the crown became shallow again and wide brims
more popular. There was more variety in the shape and style, and even mannish
Fedoras weren’t off limits. The 1940s had a wide variety of styles that were
popular and were used to brighten the drab wartime fashions. Interestingly
enough, hat making supplies were not rationed during the war so popular styles included
feathers, artificial flowers, and netting. By the end of the decade, hat
wearing, in general had declined, a trend which continued until the mid-1960s
when it was rare for women to wear hats at all except for special occasions.
Some of the styles of the fifties and sixties were pancake and cartwheel hats
which often had a tuft of veiling, turbans, and pillbox hats.

Lana Turner in picture hat. 1951.

Only recently have hats come back into the spotlight with
the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, who re-introduced the
“fascinator” to the world. I think it’s a step in the right direction, don’t
you?

Kate Middleton at the Garter Procession, 2008

January 15 is the unofficial National Hat Day. You might
want to mark your calendar.

GIVEAWAY

Now, as promised, I have a surprise for you. I’m giving away
a signed copy of The Hatmaker’s Heart. To enter and get your name in the drawing, please click on “comment” below and tell me
what your favorite hat style is and the last time you wore a hat. The winner
will be chosen by random.org. US mailing addresses only, please. And thanks for taking this little hat journey with me!

Carla Stewartis the award-winning author of five
novels. With a passion for times gone by, it is her desire to take readers back
to that warm, familiar place in their hearts called “home.”

She launched her writing career in 2002 when she earned the
coveted honor of attending the Guidepost’s Writers Workshop in Rye, New York.
Since then she’s had numerous magazine and anthology articles published. Carla
has been an Oklahoma Book Award finalist four time and was the 2011 trophy
winner of the Oklahoma Writers Federation Inc. “Best Book of Fiction”. Other
awards include the 2012 Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award (Faith, Hope, and
Love) for women’s fiction, an INSPY finalist in 2013, and a two-time ACFW Genesis
winner. She and her husband live in Tulsa and have four adult sons and seven
grandchildren.

The Hatmaker's Heart is Carla's newest release - In New York City’s Jazz Age, a naïve, but talented young hat designer
must weigh the cost of success when the rekindled love with her
childhood sweetheart is lost and her integrity in the cutthroat fashion
world is tested.

31 comments:

I think the pillbox hats of the fifties and sixties were so smart, sleek and sophisticated. I actually wore a hat a few years ago when I was in a Red Hat group. I always felt funny because it was so unnatural to wear a hat.

Oh my goodness, Collette - so cool that your grandmother made hats. My grandmother's hands were gnarled from arthritis and she crocheted amazing things - even bedspreads. Great examples that we shouldn't let our limitations keep us from doing what we love.

You can always start a trend, Kelly! I have a millinery designer friend who makes the most gorgeous fascinators, and I got to model one of them a couple of years ago at a book event. It made me feel so elegant :-)

Carol, I've decided to just make the opportunity and not worry about what people think. I wore a hat to the farmer's market the other day and the best part - I didn't have to worry about my hair that morning!

I think my favorite hat is the cloche since I'm writing a 1920s romance, but I've never worn one. The last time I wore a hat was hiking in the Canadian Rockies 2 weeks ago - my husband's "Indiana Jones" hat.

Hi Carla, and welcome to the blog! I remember as a child that we always wore hats to church. We got new hats every Christmas and Easter and it was always fun to pick out just the right one. Thanks for the fun post!

Loved the bonnet. My grandma used to make her bonnets on a Singer treadle machine. She would cut a cereal box into narrow strips and thread them into slots she had sewn in the brim, to make it stand out and shade the face. I love hats!

Jackie - thanks for sharing about your grandma. I think that's what the cardboard patterns in the bonnet hats was talking about. Funny how you don't really think about those things. I know you love hats... and you wear them with verve!

I do not like hats! The last time I wore a hat was 30 years ago and that was my wedding hat. Shaped like a western cowgirl hat with a long veil and bow. I don't like my hair all messed up and that's why I don't wear a hair. But I just got a new hair style after 35 years so maybe now I can wear a hat without my hair getting messed up. Now what kind should I try?

Your honesty made me smile!! Messing up a nice hairstyle is certainly problematic unless you wear the hat all day (which one of my daughters-in-law does). They have so many cute styles now. Hope you find one that's just right for you!

Hi, Carla! What a fun, interesting post! I have never worn hats, but I remember trying on my grandmother's hats when I was a little girl. She kept them in hat boxes in a closet and I thought they were so neat!

Most of us don't wear hats today, but like you, I thought my grandmother's closet was a wonderland with her hats. Now, I'm fortunate to have some of my mother-in-laws hats. So glad you liked learning about hats.

I love the cloche hats, some were elegant, some just fun and flirty. The last time I wore a hat was last winter, a warm, colorful, knit beret. Your new book sounds wonderful, it's on my wish list!worthy2bpraised at gmail dot com

My favorite hat is a visor when I'm out in the sun. I somehow manage to avoid wearing a hat to our ladies' tea every year. I just don't feel comfortable or haven't found a hat that suits me. I last wore a hat at the pool exercises 2 weeks ago, as I am on a road trip and wearing a visor now and then! I would love to win your book and really liked your post. Others look great in hats! sm wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com

Hi Carla! Thanks for such a fun post! My favorite types of hats are those from the late 20's and 30's and the straw almost bowler looking hats that have been popular recently and in present. I also happen to love my baseball caps on those especially bad hair days! Thanks for the chance to win your book - it sounds fabulous!!kam110476 at gmail dot com

I love your post of the hats, welcome to the site, good to see ya here Carla. I don't remember wearing a hat but I think they indeed do make a woman look "dressed up" with one. The Ky Derby hats are really something else, many so huge. I love to see them and the folks that wear them. Congrats to Jackie King for winning your book. I didnt look to see the date on the post, guess am too late for a drawing but glad I stopped by and got to meet you and see the pretty hats.Paula O(kyflo130@yahoo.com)

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WINNERS!

********************FEBRUARY WINNERS!

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Mid Month Madness Winners

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Winners will be notified by email and the winners name will be announced in the days comments. No one under 18 can enter our give aways. No purchase is necessary.All winners have one week to claim their prize. USA shipping only. Offer void where prohibited. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

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